Holly老師的英語新天地

雅思閱讀想拿高分(甚至滿分!!) 的不二法門，除了學會課堂中有教授的重要技巧外，就是練習、練習、再練習！All in all, Practice makes Perfect.  ~  Let’s Roll!

Who’s the Birdbrain?

Birds may have a reputation for being less than geniuses, but researchers are discovering that some are remarkably smart. Some birds have the capacity to recognise, count, or name different objects.

Ravens, for instance, have the ability to solve difficult puzzles, such as untangling a knotted string to free up a tasty treat, or figuring out how to steal fish by hauling in an angler’s untended line. And crows on the remote Pacific island of New Caledonia have learned a skill that people once thought only primates could master: the use of tools. The birds use long, specially chosen twigs to spear the plump grubs that hide deep beneath the bark of rotting logs.

Raven antics and New Caledonia’s clever crows have helped make people feel much more willing to admit that many animals, including birds, are quite intelligent. Dolphins can follow complex instructions, for instance, while orangutans learn complex tasks, such as washing clothes by hand, after just a few tries. And even pigeons and parrots have shown an extraordinary capacity to recognise, count, or name different objects.

But no bird has done more to give a whole new meaning to the phrase “birdbrain” than Alex the African Grey parrot. More than 20 years ago, researcher Dr Irene Pepperberg of the University of Arizona began systematically studying Alex and several other African Greys, parrots that are remarkable mimics, to understand avian intelligence. “Before I began my studies, I knew that parrots could reproduce the sounds of human speech, but that the general belief was that such vocalisations could not be meaningful,” Pepperberg had written.

Today, her work with Alex has challenged that notion. For instance, Alex can name more than 40 objects and understands the concepts of “same” and “different,” “absence,” “quantity,” and “size.” Alex, Pepperberg says, “has mastered tasks once thought to be beyond the capacity of all but humans or certain non-human primates.”

Questions

Use the information in the text to match the animals (list A—F) with the ability a certain animal possesses below.

A. crows                                                          D. orangutans

B. dolphins                                                      E. ravens

C. pigeons and parrots                                    F. Alex

1.          understands many abstract ideas

2.          can quickly master challenging domestic tasks

3.          are effective problem solvers

4.          understand numbers

5.          are able to follow instructions

6.          use tools to gather food

1. _______________________________ 

2. _______________________________

3. _______________________________ 

4. _______________________________

5. _______________________________ 

6. _______________________________

Answer Key: 1.F   2.D   3.E    4.C    5.B   6. A